Process and apparatus for ordering leaf-tobacco



Y J. HUNDLEY, Y Process and Apparatus for Ordering Leaf TobaccoIA Ne. 224,290'. f Parenteel Feb. 10,1880.

UNITEDr STATES litri-:ivreV OFFICE.

.JOHN O. HUNDLEY, OF KNAP OF REEDS, NORTEL CJAROLINA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR ORDERING LEAF-TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part O f Letters Patent N0. 224,290, 4dated. February 10, 1880,

` Application filed July 18, 1879. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, J OHNU. HUNDLEY, of

. Knap of Reeds, in the county of Granville declare that the following-is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in' the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a device for ordering or softeningleaf-tobacco, soV

that it may be moistened and removed without injury. To this end I use a suitable steamboiler, and ass therefrom a pipe having peculiar per orations to the tobacco barn or receptacle.

In order that others skilled in the'art may understand .how to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a front View of the tobacco barn or receptacle, showing the tier-poles andthe suspended tobacco, Snc. Fig. 2 is avertical cross-section ofthe .barn or receptacle, showing the manner of entering the steam-pipe and the peculiar perforations therein, &c. Fig. 3 is a top view, partly in horizontal cross-section, showing the furnace, boiler, steam-pipe, and barn connected together. Fig. 4 is a broken section, showing a modication of my invention.

A represents a furnace, and D a steamboiler.` I do not propose to describe these, as any suitable steam-supply will answer my purpose.

To the boiler D is joined a steam-pipe, C, said pipe entering the barn B, as shown, or at any suitable location as regards the overhanging tobacco. This pipe is closed at the end, vbut that portion within the barn is perforated at the sides and on the upper surface. The under portion has no perforations save,

perhaps, an opening to allow the water formed by condensing steam to pass off.

It will be noticedthat the holes m m in the sides of the pipe C are of larger diameter.v than the holes d d on the upper surface,

It has been found that when the main body of the steam is discharged'in the direction of the tobacco water formed by the condensing steam collects upon it and changes its natural color. To obviate this undesirable effect while moistening tobacco, I have perforated the pipe C, as shown, so that the greater `steamjets issue in a direction away from the tobacco and then rise to it, affecting that hanging about the sides, while the smaller jets regulate the moisture in the center, thus bringing all of the tobacco to the same state and allowing all of it to be removed at the same time and without loss from breakage.

If the room is a large one a single pip may not answer. Therefore in Fig, 4 I have shown a modification of my invention in which the pipe is arranged upon the door near the sides, and the steam issues in a manner similar to that above described.

In the barn or receptacle ,the tobacco is hung upon tier-poles g g in the usual way.

' It will be seen that by my arrangement all of the tobacco is aected in a like manner by the steam and thc natural color preserved.

I am aware that tobacco has been steamed to hasten maturity for curing, coloring, and other purposes, and that simple steaming for the purpose of ordering or casing tobacco is old; but I am not aware that the direct action of steam in the form of spray from a perforated sprayer has ever been used in tobaccobarns or curing-houses for-this particular purpose.

Having describedv my invention, what I claim isl. The herein-described process of ordering or casing leaf-tobacco in barns-that is to say, by passing the steam from a suitable boiler through a pipe .perforated in such a manner that the main portion of the steam issues in a direction away from the overhanging tobacco and rises thereto, while a portion issues in the same direction, substantially as set forth. l Y

2. The combination of the boiler D, the steam-pipe O, having perforations of different diameters, as shown and described, and the receptacle B', substantially as set forth.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix m'y signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. HUNDLEY. Witnesses:

H. W. Canam, A. M. LONG.

IOO 

